She blends into the river of students, but by any measure, Peterson was never supposed to set foot on a college campus.

At 2 weeks old she was placed in foster care by parents addicted to drugs and alcohol. She's been on her own ever since, in foster homes both good and horrifying.

Just 1 percent of abandoned children like her make it to college, national research shows. Even if a student is lucky enough to be awarded one of the $5,000 annual stipends the federal government gives former foster youths for college, just 11 percent of them graduate, unable to afford tuition, find stable housing or manage unaddressed issues of abuse and neglect.

"Other students don't quite understand how huge college is for former foster youth; it's our only way to a stable life," Peterson said. "But it's so much harder without parents to fall back on."

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Not only is Peterson set to walk the stage in 2013, but also she is emerging as a leading voice on foster care reform, speaking to lawmakers on Capitol Hill and at philanthropic luncheons in San Francisco about a small but growing program at San Francisco State that threw her a lifeline.

Guardian Scholars puts former foster youths together in guaranteed campus apartments with shared living rooms and kitchens, so students can form bonds and have a place to live during summers and holiday breaks.

The program, privately funded through many small individual and community donations, begun in 2005, is housed on campus and mentors former foster youths, helping them secure financial aid and internships. There are mental health counselors and guides to help students pick their classes through special priority registration.

"Guardian scholars are the ones dropped off on the curb by a taxi or a social worker," Sanchez-Zarama said. "Maybe they get a handshake or a pat on the back, and they are carrying what little they have in a Hefty bag or cardboard box, while everyone else is hugging their parents and waving goodbye."

So far 64 students have gone through the Guardian Scholars program in San Francisco, and 88 percent of them have graduated - a higher rate than the campus as a whole.

Advocate for youths

Peterson wants to become a policy analyst or a lawyer, so she can advocate for former foster youths. She wants the federal government to fund the Guardian Scholars program, and she wants to create a nonprofit that would help foster youths with the college application process.

"Once you get to college, there's all this help, but there's nothing before you get here," Peterson said.

Peterson said her tenacity comes from the one foster parent who believed in her. Pattye Lopez, a friend of the family whom Peterson calls Mom, agreed to take Peterson as an infant even though Peterson's biological mother insisted on claiming her as a dependent so she could keep the foster care money.

"Pattye and I lived 10 miles away from my biological mom, but every six months when the social worker came by, I'd have to go back and pretend I lived there," Peterson said.

Lopez enrolled Peterson in private school, read to her every night, and told her she would never be on drugs or welfare because she was going to college. Peterson thrived until her 15th birthday, when Lopez went to the ER with an infection. Peterson was alone in the waiting room when the surgeon told her that Lopez's heart had stopped.

Peterson was sent back to live with her biological mother. "I had to beg her to take me to school every day," Peterson said. "I got her to do it by paying her 5 or 10 dollars for the ride."

Within a year, Peterson persuaded a judge to remove her from her biological mother's custody. She was placed in another foster home, but this time she wasn't so lucky. The husband and wife forced her to cook and clean and made sport of putting her down, telling her she was stupid and overweight and would never amount to anything. They thought it was funny to stick pins in a voodoo doll they named Jessie.

"They said I would turn out just like my mom and no one would love me," Peterson said. "I just stayed silent. I was excited to prove them wrong."

Peterson got a calendar and binder. She crossed off the remaining days until she turned 18 and would be released from state care and could legally leave the house. Inside the binder, she started filing college applications.

She applied to eight and was accepted by all. When she arrived at San Francisco State in a rental car, Sanchez-Zarama was waiting for her with an enormous hug. She and two current Guardian Scholars helped Peterson carry her boxes and get settled into her new dorm room. Sanchez-Zarama had all the things that Peterson hadn't thought to bring: pots, pans, brooms, dishes, towels, pillows.

Friends for life

The Guardian Scholars met for a pizza party and, as they got to know each other, slowly shared their stories.

"For the first time in my life, I felt normal. Other people were just as worried if they were ready for college," Peterson said.

Guardian Scholars linked Peterson with the nonprofit Fostering Art program, where she and other former foster youths put together a photography exhibition. She sold $600 worth of photos, of children playing baseball, hugging puppies, of couples embracing on the beach.

Another student photographer in the program, Kesia Williams, became Peterson's best friend. Not only did they share similar pasts, but they also had the same birthday, and the understanding that their friendship could be tight like family. When Peterson went to the emergency room with bleeding gums after having her wisdom teeth pulled, it was Williams who showed up and nursed her back to health. Williams and Peterson cooked Thanksgiving meals together, and now they are planning a trip to Hawaii. One day they want to start a business to help former foster youths.

"I've always been optimistic, I work hard, and that's just part of my personality," Peterson said. "What's different now is my stress level. I no longer worry if I'm going to have food or what will happen if I have to live on the streets. If I run into a problem, I can just go to the Guardian Scholars office, and they can help me figure it out."

Acting like parent

Sanchez-Zarama helped Peterson practice for an interview and land an internship in the San Francisco mayor's office taking citizen calls. On her first day, Sanchez-Zarama showed up under the guise of wanting to bring a comment to City Hall, only to snap a photo of Peterson at work.

"At the time I was so embarrassed, but now looking back, it really means a lot," Peterson said. "It's something a parent would do."

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